Railway-telegraph



(No Model.)

B. CADE.

RAILWAY TELEGRAP-H.

Patented Jan. 29, 1889.

N, PETERS4 Phonymlwgmplmr. wnshngwn4 D. c

UNiTEn STATES PATENT EEicE.

ISAYLYS CADE, F LOUISBURG, NORTH (.lAROLlNA.

RAILWAY-TELEGRAPH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 396,983, dated January29, 1889.

Application filed March '7, 1888. Serial No. 266,421. (No model.)

To (all whom t 11mg/ conc/ern.-

Be it known that I, BAYLUs (IADE, a citizen of the United States,residing` at Louisburg, in the county ot Franklin and State of NorthCarolina, have invented certain new and useful Improvcm ents inRailwayfleleg ra plis; and

l do hereby declare the following to be a full,

clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame.

This invention relates to electric telegraphy.

The object is to provide simple means whereby connnunication may beestablished with movable bodies while in motion or at rest.

The invention consists, essentially, in a conductor of electricitysuitably supported and insulated, composed ol' pieces of conductingmaterial of suitable length connecting at their ends with pendentvessels containing a conductible liquidw-snch as mercury-whereby thetilting of said vessels will sever the contact between said lengths ol'conducting material, and a moving body provided with a bar, cam, orsimilar device adapted to engage and tilt said vessels, thus breakingthe electrical contact in said conductor, said car or movable body beingalso provided with metallic brushes or like means electricallyconnected, whereby. electrical contact is afforded with said conductorupon opposite sides of the bar or cam and the current ot' electricity iscaused to pass through the car in order to complete the circuit.

Furthermore, the invention consists in various novel details ofconstruction. hereinafter set forth.

ln the accompanying drawings, in which like letters of referenceindicate corresponding parts in all the figures, Figure l represents aportion of a carin side elevation and the conductor of electricitymounted upon short posts beside the track. Fig. il represents adetailview of the bar used in breaking contact in the electrical conductor.Fig. 3 represents an end view of the same, showing one of the vessels inthe position it occupies when tilted by the bar. Fig. l represents adetail view of one of the vessels, showing in dotted lines its positionwhen tilted. Fig. 5 represents a plan view of one of the posts connect'ing the wires of the conductor and arms eX- tending therefrom torcontact of the metallic brushes. Fig. represents a detail view of amodification, and Fig. T illustrates the modification when tilted tobreak the circuit.

A designates an electrical conductor composed of pieces ot' wire u,mounted upon posts a2, each provided with a cap, o, having metallic armsa" extending therefrom. interposed between the posts are vessels orcells B, suspended by the pieces of wire their ends extending within thevessel, and, when the vessel is in its normal position, being in contactwith a movable conductible body, b. This body is here shown as aliquid-such as mercuryalthough it is obvious a movable solid may be usedwith equal success. The cell or vessel Bis formed with a compartmentupon one side into lwhich the .mercury iilows when the vessel is tilted,and thus the mercury is removed t'roin contact with the terminals of thecomlucting-wires and the circuit broken.

C designates th e movable strncture-in this instance a ca1--depemlingfrom which, preferably near each end, is a metallic brush, c, or othersuitable conductor, these conductors being connected with each otherthrough the car and so hung that upon movement of the car each will becaused .to strike the arms a4, thus establishing electrical. contactbetween them and the electrical conductm' A. The brushes are ofsufficient length at all times to be in cont-act with one or more of thearms, insuring a direct conn ect'ion in all positions of the car.

In order to cause the current to leave the conductor and pass throughthe connecting lines in the car, the connection upon the main line mustbe broken. To accomplish this a bar or other device, c', depends fromthe car at a point between the brushes. This arm is curved outward atits ends beyond the line of the vessels, its inner or main portion beingsufficientlyout of the line to cause the vessels, when caught-by eitherend of the bar, to be swung inward a-nd held in this position until re`leased from contact with the bar. Thus the mercury being removed fromcontact with the terminals of the conductor while the vessel is heldtilted, the current is here broken, and, as previously shown, thecircuit will be completed. through the car. This bar is also long enoughat all times to keep one or more of the vessels IOO tilted, and thus thecurrent is always broken upon the main line between the brushes and apermanent circuit is established through the car.

In the modification I have shown a conductor composed oi' tubing ofrubber or like material, there being within it at intervals a number ofinet-al disks, a, dividing -the interior of the tubing into smallcompartments and provided with contact-points a near their lower edges.In each ot' these compartments is provided a small quantity ol' mercury,b", or the like, affording electrical contact between the disks. Fromeach disk there is a conductive projection, c7, through the uppersurface ot' the tube, for contact with the brushes. The manner ofbreaking connection in this conductor is by causing the bar dependingfrom the car arranged rto curve the tube upward to come in contact with,the tube, when, as soon as the tubing is bent or twisted, asl shown inFig. 7, the mercury, seeking its level, at once breaks the contactbetween the circuit therethrough.

By my invention the construction of apparatus for signaling by or to andfrom railwaytrains is simplified, and by the simplification the expenseof construction is greatly reduced, which on a long line of railroad isa matter of no small importance.

Having thus fully described my invention, what l; claim as new, anddesire to vsecure by Letters Patent, is-

l. A conductor of electricity or line, consisting of sections ofinsulated conductive substance sustained upon suitable supports, incombination with vessels, each vessel consisting of insulating substancecontaining a conductive body and adapted to be moved, the sectionsbeing' connected by the vessels and having their ends passing into andfixed in the same, so as to form the support For said vessels, wherebymovement of a vessel will throw the conductive body which it containsout of or into direct contact with the sections and thus break or makethe circuit, substantially as described.

2. A conductor of electricity or line, consisting of sections ofinsulated conductive substance sustained upon suitable supports, incombination with vessels and with a movable structure, each vesselconsisting of insulating substance containing a conductive body andadapted to be moved, the sections being connected by the vessels andhaving their ends passing into and fixed in the same, so as to Vform thesupport for said vessels, and the movable structure having a projectionwhich comes into contact with and moves the vessels, substantially asdescribed.

3. A conductor of electricity or line, consisting of sections ofinsulated conductive substance sustained upon suitable supports, incombination with vessels and with a movable structure, each vesselconsisting of insulating substance containing a conductive body andadapted to be moved, the sections being connected by the vessels andhaving their ends passing into and fixed in the same, so as to form thesupport 'for said vessels, and the movable structure having a projectionwhich comes into contact with and moves the vessels, and having'conductors-such as brushes-for contact with the line, the projection onthe movable structure being located between these conductors,substantially as described.

In testimony whereof l affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

BA'YLS CAD-E. lVitnesses:

R. G. DvRENFoR'rH, R. M. ELLIOTT.

